Don't Ignore Mold

8/1/2017 (Permalink)

Have Mold? Have it treated.

SERVPRO Inspects and Remedies Oakland Mold Infestations

There are companies that can remedymold damage in your East Bay home if and when you get infested. Molds are part of nature and exist in home environments. Mold spores can circulate through your HVAC duct work, enter your home on your clothes or the fur of your dog. 

Mold, when it is present impacts people is various ways, especially allergic individuals to allergens, pollens and the mycotoxins which are produced by mold colonies. Others only feel uncomfortable and tired a good portion of the time. Mold proliferation can occur if the initial problem isn't tackled quickly. 

The difficulty of most people is that they cannot see where these fungi are growing. You can sense it by the smell under many conditions. It has an earthy, musty smell and occasionally people only think it is a wet smell. That is part of the problem as a water leak is often the source of moisture that allows for mold growth. Water can come in through the basement or crawlspace walls or from a leaking pipe just about anywhere in the home. 

These fungi can become attached to any surface, often behind walls, above ceilings and within subfloors. They can become entangled in the pile of your carpet and in any room such as the kitchen and bathroom where moisture is present. Health effects can result from the infiltration of mold and mold spores as they travel from one room to another in the air conditioner or heating system. If you smell this odor, the best thing to do is to call a mold remediation firm like SERVPRO, to inspect for mold infestations, and if found, to recommend professional mold remediation. Mold, as any legitimate company will verify, cannot be totally removed and killed from your Alameda property. Returning your interior to acceptable levels for health and safety, while cleaning and restoring any damaged items or building materials, are the goals. Of course, the sources of moisture must be discovered and fixed to reduce the likelihood of a reoccurrence. 

SERVPRO has the specialized equipment that can locate where mold is colonizing. The trained, insured technicians from SERVPRO have the experience to know where to look and how to remediate the mold growths. The process for cleaning this mold consists of containment barriers (an example is poly sheeting) and negative pressure systems that keep the contaminated areas separated from unaffected areas of the house until the cleaning and sanitizing is complete. The cleaning is conducted by following the standards set forth by the IICRC. SERVPRO has specially developed cleaning agents for restoring mold damaged items from staining and advanced growth. 

While this cleaning is going on, dehumidifiers are set up to help remove excess moisture (target RH in the house is 45%)  that, if the levels are left too high, can continue to allow this mold growth. Air scrubbers are employed to purge the air of most mold spores and foggers help to sanitize and deodorize the affected areas. 

When you have that sense that an earthy, musty odor is coming from the basement, the attic or even from inside of the wall, call SERVPRO of San Leandro at (510) 352-2480 to get us on the job to remedy mold damage to your East Bay home or property.